a few vintage dresses for me - part 1

This first one is special - it came from my grandmother's closet. This was a dress she wore in the 1950s when she was a junior in high school! It's snug in the top, but I decided if it fit I was keeping it.

So I did.

(Someone always manages to sneak into the photos ...)

It is actually a vegetable print with tones of cream, yellow, green and purple. The skirt is amazing and I think I need a petticoat. It still has its belt (many, many vintage dresses do not) and it's double rope-like belt that I just tied around my sweater.

I wore this one to church one day and got several compliments. On a vegetable dress, I know!

dress: Grandma, sweater: thrifted, cream tights: Target, brown shoes (not shown): JCP.

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This one is a handmade, crazy pink, 70s print polyester maxi dress that seems to have seen better hippietastic days. I thrifted this one and decided I'd try a dress re-do (you can't get good at sewing if you never try!) - so I snapped a few "before" pictures and then cut it up.

The skirt was a crazy wide bell and the sleeves had elastic cuffs (yuck) so I...

... cut off the skirt length
... narrowed the skirt bell
... narrowed the waist (then took it out again and gave myself a little more wiggle room)
... cut off the sleeves in favor of a cap sleeve
... then shortened the neckline ties.

Probably my least favorite of all of my vintage dresses (first time's a charm!?) - mostly because of the crazy print and because it doesn't flatter my figure at all ... I look straight all the way down! But I still am proud of my first attempt.

dress: thrifted and altered, necklace: my MIL's 80s closet, belt: LOFT, white lace leggings: Khol's clearance, clutch: Korea, black peeptoes: my closet.